University Isn't For Everyone

During Sixth Form at my local secondary school, I felt like it was drilled into everyone that going to university was the best and only option. So much so that although I was adamant I didn't want to leave school and go straight back into education I was forced to complete a UCAS application and encouraged to attend open days.

The majority of the population deciding what to do after A-Levels have no doubt that gaining a degree is the way to go. But for me, I had a hard enough time getting through the final two years of school and I still feel like I'm the only one who doesn't want the student life.

I found that one of my teachers understood that I didn't want to go, and understood why. She would e-mail me job advertisements she found, tell me about apprenticeships she thought would suit me, all relevant to the areas I was interested in and the subjects I was doing well in in Sixth Form.

I've never had a 'dream job', well apart from the time when I was 10 and decided I could be a paramedic, thanks Casualty but it was a short lived dream. So I had no idea what I was looking for when it came to employment but just like when applying to university making yourself stand out is key.

Before I'd even started my final exams I had knocked together a CV, and been invited to an interview. The interview happened the day after I left school for good, and I lucky walked straight into the job. It's not a waitressing gig, it's not in McDonalds or KFC, it's a job I really like. Yes, they do exist.

My point is that even though we are told from a young age that having a mass of qualifications will get us a dream job, it's not true. I can't say my decision is the right one, or that I won't feel like I'm ready to try uni at a later point in life. But I don't mind a bit of hard work and perseverance to get myself to where I want to be at the moment.

Catch you later,

Ellie x